Briefing groups
"The burghers of Sevenoaks were abed that fateful night so, with none to hear, six great oaks crashed silently to the ground."
The Great Storm of October 1987
Just like you and me, everyone within your group wants to know what is expected of them, the extent of their responsibilities, how their input contributes to the whole, how well they are performing and to receive recognition for good work. This places communication right at the heart what you, as a leader, must do.
So let me introduce you to briefing groups. It's a management tool that I first encountered when on a six month secondment to the Industrial Society (IndSoc). Most of us spent our time away from London offering training and advice to employers across the UK. But, no matter where I or any of us were on one particular day each month, we were each expected to attend the monthly briefing at HQ and woe betides any who failed to turn up.
Such was the IndSoc's commitment to this monthly briefing that the costs of getting us all to London were considered more than outweighed by keeping us all fully informed of the 'big picture'. It also offered a chance for each department to get together to review and plan, etc.
Here's how it worked:
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we all attended a high level meeting (lasting 60 minutes or so) where we were briefed by John Garnett, IndSoc's Director and others on the senior team;
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when this was complete, we would break away for a departmental briefing;
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this briefing was by the leader immediately accountable for each work group;
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meetings were scheduled such that they could include messages from the group briefing at a level above;
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department briefings didn't usually last more than 30 minutes, 20 minutes for the leader to brief their points before questions from the group.
I hope that you decide to use briefing groups. If yes, focus on the four Ps - matters that directly affect the group e.g.
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progress - how is the group doing? Are we on budget and/or target? What have been our recent successes? Have there been any serious issues? If yes, how have we dealt with them and could we have done better?
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people - new appointments and/or resignations? What are the group's absence figures? Are there fears about people's security (particularly relevant at this time of Covid-19)?
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policies - are changes taking place that may have been decided at a higher level, e.g. 'pay and rations', Health & Safety, short-time working, furloughing staff, etc?
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points - those things that you, as leader, have noted during the month and that you wish to stress when the group is together, e.g. plans for next month. It is also an ideal opportunity to dispel 'grapevine' rumours by offering you a platform from which to present the facts, not hearsay.
When I introduced group briefings to my newly created Medical Division at Mount Vernon Hospital, the meetings brought together senior staff from A&E, Outpatients, General Medicine, Therapies, Palliative Care, Pathology and Imaging. For many it was the first time in their careers that they found themselves peering over the parapets of their professional 'silos' into the worlds inhabited by other professionals.
It was all a bit unsettling at first. But perseverance on their part and mine led to an increased realisation that we were all striving towards the same goals and that each contributed to the success or failure of others in the Division. The briefings and the information shared among such a disparate group served to underline our inter-dependence and the challenges facing each of our areas in the hospital.
Such was the success of these briefings that I and the group came to welcome time together away from the hustle and bustle of our busy days at MVH. During our 'Away Days', we planned the year ahead and, when appropriate, we used this time to set up cross-functional/inter-departmental task forces. One such was the group (nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, therapists and managers from finance, contracting and HR) that developed plans to create a direct-access Stroke Unit modelled along the lines of the Coronary Care Unit that already existed in our Division.
I truly believe that we could not have achieved this multi-professional cooperation in the months and years before our monthly briefings. The regular sharing of information helped us each appreciate our co-dependence and encouraged an increased willingness to work together across the professional 'silos'.
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